A/N/ I am overwhelmed with all the reviews and how positive they are! I'm so glad you all like Lexi so much. PruRose, Fall-Back-Down, WickedlyMinx, A Pride All Our Own, Cleo, OceanSiren20 and Sylarfan all you're reviews give me life :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter I have a feeling it'sgoing to make a lot of you happy, so happy reading! And dont forget to review :)

Chapter 12

Lexi's mom set out a large spread on the dining table, the full works. Beef wellington, roasted vegetables, gravy, it was all there. She had invited Lexi and Mickey for dinner in the hopes of winning her daughter back. Ever since Mickey had been in Lexi's life she had gone from a warm, loving daughter into a living nightmare that Mandy didn't recognise. Mandy knew it was drugs. She would have had to be an idiot to no see it. They were coming in and out of the house consistantly asking for money, stupidly she could never say no.
Mickey had excused himself to the bathroom ten minutes ago and Mandy watched as her daughters eyes kept darting to the hallway which led to the downstairs bathroom.
"Mom, I'm just going to check on him. He's had a stomach bug for the past couple of days." Lexi lied, stomping out of the diningroom.
Quietly, Mandy followed her and peeked around the door trying to remain unseen.
"You're a fucking prick!" Lexi hissed, her fist banging on the toilet door. "A fucking coward."
Moments later the toilet door swung open and Mickey stumbled out, grinning his soul full of warmth. "It's all yours."
Lexi snatched a crumped up piece of foil from Mickey's hand. "A real man would have let his girlfriend go first! You slimy cunt!"
Mickey held up his hands in defeat as Lexi slammed the bathroom door in his face. "Womens problems I think." He grinned at Mandy slumping down in his chair at the table. "I'm starving."

Frank lay in his bed reading his latest book. He'd always loved reading and with his men organised and sorting Negans first collection he finally had time to put his feet up and read a few hours away. "Lexi, I can hear you. I want silence please."
In her cage which was covered in a large blanket, Frank liked to keep it covered during the day while he wasn't playing with her, Lexi was sniffing as quietly as she could. The detox from heroin had been ugly, Frank knew it was going to be he had got Mickey clean after all. The vomit, the sweat, the diarrhoea! It meant he had to make sure her wounds were kept extra clean because of infection but four weeks down the line and Lexi was officially clean and through the worst of it, really Frank was a hero.
"Lexi hunny, stop the sniffing." Frank spoke to her like she was a child.
Lexi brought one of her hands up and wiped her nose as quietly as she humanly could. It wasn't her fault she was sniffing she was freezing, it was the middle of winter and she had been sat sick from no heroin in nothing but skimpy underwear. So now, unsuprisingly she had a cold. It didn't help that Mickey woke her up most days by throwing a bucket of ice cold water on her.
"That's better." Frank signed, now able to concerntrate fully on his book. "Lexi now you're out of the rough, I can start to work on you properly."
Lexi felt the last part of her mind crumble away. This wasn't properly? Her entire body had been hacked at and butchered. At the end of each 'session' Frank would expertly stick her back up effectively making sure he neer ran out of space.
A loud bang downstairs startled Frank, no one was suppose to be here, it was his down time. Heaving himself out of his warm bed, Fran slipped on his dressing gown and made to leave the bedroom to see what the noise had been.
"Where's Lexi, old man?" Dwight had entered the room before Frank had a chance to even make it across to the door. "Negan wanted me to check in on her and I can't find her anywhere."
"She's probably hiding in one of the labs, she's had to change live style choice. I don't have heroin here. Too hard to come by the ingredients I need to derive it." Frank laughed nervously. Placing a hand on Dwight's shoulder he began directing him out of the room. "Let me dress and I'll happily help you find her."
This was her only chance or she had to wait another four weeks again. Taking a deep breath she hooked her fingers onto her bottom lip and pulled. The skin was ripping from the superglue that had stuck her lips closed and tears streamed down her cheeks. Using as much force as her moth could take she managed to prize her lips open a crack. "Dwight!" She croaked, it didn't sound anything like his name with her mouth still nintey percent shut but the footsteps had stopped.
Dwight shrugged Franks hands off, pointing to where the noise had come from, a table he assumed covered by a blanket. "What is that?"
"These buildings make strange noises, we built them ourselves so they aren't completely sound."
Reaching out a hand, Dwight slowly pulled the blanket. "What the fuck?" He was actually lost for words. Huddled at the back of a (cage) was Lexi, in nothing but some filthy once white underwear and she looked like a patchwork quilt. Dwights eyes flickered over all the wounds that covered her body, cuts, burns, bruises, it was never ending. "Open it."
"She belongs to me-"
Dwight swung Daryl's crossbow from his shoulder and pointed it at the older man. "I said open it. She belongs to Negan, just like you do." He pushed the arrow tip at Franks throat. "The only reason I havent killed you is because when I tell Negan, he'll make it much more painful and slow."
Going into the bedside table, Frank produced the key and handed it to Dwight. "It's no different to what he does to her Dwight, only difference is the tools we use." Letting Dwight remove Lexi from the cage, he slipped back into bed, the winter air making him too cold. "I'm not afraid of dying Dwight, I'm old. Let him come." Picking his book back up Frank went back to his book.
Dwight lifted Lexi up fireman style, there was no way she could walk out of there. "You think you don't fear it old man. But Negan has a way of making people fear things they never thought they could." With a new purpose, Dwight marched out of the house glancing down to check Lexi was okay a few times. "Take everything!" He yelled to Negan's men. "Get Janey too!"
Toby was busy humping crates of booze into the back a truck when Dwight called his name. "Is that-"
"I'm taking a quick detour. Make sure everything is taken and Janey is too." Dwight explained briefly, placing Lexi onto Daryls bike before climbing on himself.
"He'll go mad if you don't bring her back."
Dwight kick started the engine and turned ready to leave. "I'll deal with that later." Squeezing the handles, Dwight took off at an alarming speed leaving Toby incharge of the convoy. He needed to get Lexi away.

Rick heard the roar of an motorcycle engine. Daryl was still captive at Sanctuary so that meant it could only be one other person. Their collection wasn't due for another few days, Carl had been returned to him when the job at the settlement had been completed, so he was at a loss as to why the Saviours would be coming. "Open the gates." He shouted out to Eugene, there was no point in putting up resistance with these people.
Dwight rode in on Daryl's motorbike and came to a swift stop a few feet from Rick.
"The collection isn't for a few days, we're not ready." Rick yelled over the roar of the engine.
Turning the engine off, Dwight swung his leg over the bike and the picked Lexi up. "I'm here to drop something off." Slowly he strode over to Rick. "Lexi, you'll be safe here."
Ricks face was blank as he finally saw what Dwight was carrying. "HE did this to her?!"
Placing Lexi delicately onto her feet, Dwight scoffed. "That's not your concern. Just look after her. She's been heroin free for a month. Keep it that way." Back on Daryl's bike, Dwight drove out of Alexandria as quickly as he'd left Frank's. He had a lot of explaining to do back at Sanctuary.
Lexi stumbled forward, tripping over things that weren't even there before falling into Rick's arms and hugging him with all the strength she had left in her.
"Alex, you're safe now." Rick soothed, running a hand over her hair. "You're safe."
All the feelings, and tears Lexi had been holding in came flooding out all at once. Snuggling further into Rick's chest, Lexi sobbed with relief. It was finally over.
"Carl!" Rick called out, his son ran out of their house. "Get a bath filled for Alex!"
Carl looked as confused as Rick had but none the less he darted back into the house.
"Alex, we're going to get you cleaned up and in some clothes. Okay?" Rick felt her head make a small nod on his chest. Scooping her tired body up, he carried her into his home and up to the bathroom where Carl already had the water running. "Go find Michonne, ask her for some clothes for Alex." Rick instructed as he sat Lexi onto the toilet. "Alex, I'm going to have to undress you, okay?" Her dead eyes met his, and he could tell this didn't even register. "Okay, here we go." Gently he peeled off the filthy underwear, leaving Lexi completely nude. Wasting no time he pulled her into his arms again and carefully placed her into the warm bath. Picking up a flannel Rick began softly washing her dirty, injured body. The entire time Lexi just stared at the tiles infront of her not making a sound.
"Rick?" Michonne stepped into the bathroom, her eyes fell on Lexi. "Jesus, Negan?" She placed the clothes she was holding onto the toilet and knelt next to Rick.
"I'm not sure," Rick continued washing Lexi as he turned to Michonne. "I know Alex from before all this, she was a sweet kid."
Michonnes gaze landed on the track marks on Lexi's arms. "Heroin? She's so young."
"Hold up that towel." Rick hooked his arm under Lexi's and lifted her out of the bath for Michonne to wrap her in a towel. "Can I let you dress her."
Michonne nodded, allowing Rick past her to leave the bathroom. "Alex, I'm Michonne." She dabbed at Lexi's wounds not wanting to tug on them with the towel. "No one will ever do this to you again."

Lexi didn't remember falling asleep. The soft duvet that cocooned her weary body felt like heaven. Where was she? Panic over took her and she found her self hurtling out of the bed quicker than she though she possibly could, Lexi's feet carried her at a sprint through the house and out into the night air. Alexandria. She recognised the neighbourhood now.
"Alex, are you okay?" Ricks kind voice asked from behind her.
Lexi's tense shoulders dropped for the first time in years. "Yes, I'm fine."
Wrapping his arm around Lexi's shoulder, Rick held her protectively. "Come in, you'll get cold."
"I've been inside for a month I just want to be outside for awhile. Do you have any cigarettes?"
Rick knew in one of the drawers in the kitchen was a crumpled old packet and he left her briefly to fetch them. "I'll sit with you."
Lexi put a cigarette between her lips and allowed Rick to light it for her. The first drag was bliss. She hadn't had one since leaving Sanctuary and lord knows she needed one. "He'll come for me."
"He didn't send you here?" Asked Rick, wrapping a blanket around the both of them.
Lexi dragged deep shaking her head. "He'd never send me here." She scoffed lightly. "He doesn't like to see me happy."
"Did he?" It had been driving Rick insane not knowing if Negan had done this to her.
Again Lexi shook her head. "No, he'd never...It was Frank, from the settlement."
Rick was shocked. The man hadn't seemed the sort, infact he's seemed pretty normal, compared to Negan anyway. But even so, he had carved at Lexi for a month like she was a Christmas turkey. Rick felt partly to blame. He had been there when the deal was struck, he had no idea Negan would send Lexi. And what about the other girl? It had been agreed for two to be sent there. "Alex, I'm so sorry-"
"Rick you didn't do this." Lexi looked into his kind eyes and stroked his right cheek with her free hand. "I'll get over it. And now I'm off drugs."
Ricks mouth pulled into a soft smile. He admired how brave she was. She was unbelievably strong and he'd be damned if Negan was going to waltz in tomorrow and take her back to his compound to get her hooked on his shit again. "That you are. Shane...he always said you could do it." It had been a long time since he'd spoken of his bestfriend. "He never lost faith in you. Said, that Alex is a fighter. And you know what? He was right."
Lexi snuggled closer to Rick, taking comfort in his warmth. "I had a crush on Shane when I was a kid." She giggled and Rick laughed with her.
"Oh, he knew!" Rick laughed harder. "Said you were jail bait. I guess he was kind of right really. But he always had a soft spot for you, said that you were like the sister he was glad he never had. Couldn't be dealing with beating on guys regularly."
"Whatever happened to him? He's not here is he."
Rick groaned. "That's a conversation for another day I think."
Lexi could take a hint and didn't push it any further. "He had beers with me once." She smirked at Rick. "Told me not to ever tell you, because he didn't want you to beat his ass." Lexi sighed, tossing the butt of the cigarette away. "Shane was one of the good ones."
It didn't slip Rick's notice that she had used the word was. "Yeah, he saved my life a bunch of times."
"Does Carl ever miss him?" Lexi remembered the soft spot Shane had always had for Carl, he practically had two dads.
"I think he probably does. He didn't mess about did he. Could use him now really." Rick mused. Shane would have this dealt with this in about two seconds but that just wasn't Rick. He'd never been as firey as Shane, it's probably why they'd been such good friends. "It's late Alex, lets get to bed. He'll be here early I imagine."
Lexi didn't argue this time and kept the blanket wrapped around her shoulders while she followed Rick to the front door. "Rick?"
"Yes, Alex?"
"Could I stay in your room tonight?" Lexi watched the conflicted look on his face. "I promise to behave. No funny business. I just...I would feel safer."
Rick let out the breath he'd been holding in. "Of course you can."
Cozying up to Ricks warm body in the soft bed Lexi finally was able to sleep peacefully.